Doctor slams Health Secretary Matt Hancock as he spends days writing death certificates

He is the latest to express concerns the elderly are quietly dying in 'forgotten' care homes (Image: Getty stock photo)

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“Sorry, but the care home I look after was woefully prepared for COVID19 - now I spend half my week writing death certificates.

“If they deny accountability, is it nobody’s fault? Are all these deaths inevitable Matt Hancock?”

According to the latest figures published by the Office for National Statistics (ONS), there have been a total of 2,906 coronavirus-related deaths in English care homes up to April 17.

And data from the Care Quality Commission showed an additional 2,375 coronavirus-related care home deaths between April 18 and 24, bringing the total to 5,281.

This is on top of the 21,678 fatalities recorded in hospitals.

However the total ‘out of hospital’ figure could end up being much higher.

This morning (April 29) Sir David Spiegelhalter, professor of the public understanding of risk at the University of Cambridge, said the numbers could be vastly more than the officially announced deaths so far.

He said: “I would push my neck out that it is plausible that there are now as many Covid-labelled deaths occurring out of hospital as there are in hospitals in England.”

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George Eustice, who led the government’s daily coronavirus briefing on Sunday, has echoed Matt Hancock’s assertions that care homes have received all due focus.

He told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme: “I don’t accept it was overlooked but obviously there was a real focus on the NHS because there were concerns it might be overwhelmed.

“But in the case of care homes we’ve always recognised there was more vulnerability there and that residents were more susceptible to this virus.

“That is why a lot of things were done in making sure they could get some PPE – we all know there have been challenges with PPE.”

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